All This Time
by WordsLikeStardust
Summary: After being rescued from the TMK, Sam McCall decides she needs a fresh start after everything that went down with Jason, Elizabeth and Lucky. She winds up in Quantico where she works as a PI and seemed to move on with FBI Agent John McBain. But when Kristina is beaten by Keifer, Sam reluctantly returns to Port Charles to help her sister and face the past she left behind.
1. Prologue: Leaving

**All This Time**

**Backstory:** I'm going to stay true to Sam's original GH storyline up until March 4, 2008. Instead of getting back together with Lucky (though I do have a soft spot for LuSam) Sam is going to leave Port Charles instead. Sick of being ridiculed for the mistakes she made and unable to stand the hurt of losing Jason, Sam is going to start fresh. She'll wind up in Quantico, Virginia and start working on a career for herself as a PI. While she's there, she will meet John McBain who returned to Quantico himself to work for the FBI in May of 2007 after breaking up with Natalie. John and Sam work many cases together, feeling a constant pull toward one another. Sick of ignoring their connection, the two eventually begin a relationship and fall in love. Though in the back of their minds, thoughts of Jason and Natalie still exist.

**Summary: **Sam McCall has a fresh start in Quantico, Virginia. Now a licensed PI, she uses her skills to help people while still playing to her adventurous side. The wounds she left Port Charles with have scarred over and she's even found love with FBI Agent John McBain. She feels no need to return to her old home, content to have her mother and sisters visit her in Virginia.

But then Alexis calls. Kristina is in the hospital, the result of horrible beating. Knowing what her sister is going through, Sam has no choice but to return to Port Charles in order to be there for her. She is relieved when John agrees to go with her, wanting to help.

Jason Morgan is stunned when his former love Sam McCall shows up at the hospital. It had been nearly two years to the day since he had seen her last. She had left town shortly after her rescue from Diego Alcazar and hadn't been back since. Now she's here for Kristina, older, wiser and healed from the hurt, bitterness and anger she had when she left. And though he wants to reach out to her and reconnect, there's an obstacle in his way this time. Agent John McBain is not only Sam's boyfriend, but oddly enough seems to have a history with Sonny, which usually spells trouble.

Can Jason and Sam find their way back to each other? Or is she really out of his reach for good?

**Rating: **M

**Pairings:** Mostly cannon to the time frame of 2010. Though McBam has come in early instead of 2012. Anyway McBam/JaSam triangle, Lante, Slaudia, CarJax, eventual Ethina, Maxis? (Mac/Alexis?) lol, Spixie, Scrubs, LnL2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All characters and scenarios belong to ABC and their affiliates. This story was written for entertainment purposes not profit.

* * *

**Prologue:**

"Hey." Sam McCall offered her mother what she thought was a friendly smile when Alexis Davis opened her front door. "Did I get you at a bad time?"

Alexis looked startled, but please, opening the front door. "No, actually I've got about an hour before my next appointment. Come in."

Sam stepped inside Alexis's lake house, shoving her hands deeper into the pockets of her winter coat. "Are Kristina and Molly here?"

"Kristina is at school." Alexis shut the door and the March chill out, turning to face her eldest daughter fully. "And Molly is spending the day with Ric. What brings you by, Sam?" She eyed her in concern. "Do you want to sit down? How's your hip?"

Sam glanced down at her right hip, which had been injured a little under a month ago when she had been hit by a car. She had her last physical therapy session yesterday, assured she would soon have full use of her leg again. But she still had some stiffness to work with.

"It's fine." Sam assured her. "I won't take too much of your time. I know you're busy these days."

"You're still my daughter. If something's wrong you can always come to me." Alexis folded her arms over her torso, giving Sam her full attention. "You looked troubled. Talk to me."

Not seeing any point of prolonging the inevitable, Sam shrugged. "I'm leaving." She admitted. "Port Charles. I gave up the lease on my apartment and plan on heading South within the next day or so."

"What?" Alexis's eyes widened in shock. "Why?"

"I made some mistakes…here." Sam shifted uncomfortably. "That…um…no one wants to let me live down. And while I regret some of the things I've done, I did them out of hurt and anger at the people who betrayed me first. But, I'm really sick of being angry all the time. And I'm sick of being ridiculed for things I've done when I'm just as much a victim as I am an instigator."

"Sam," Alexis said gently. "I know you've had a rough year. But don't you think you're being a little rash?"

"No." Sam shook her head. "I'm the bad guy. Even though Elizabeth has screwed up just as much as I have, she still comes out with her halo intact. Meanwhile, I'm that train wreck who lies and will do anything to seek attention. Frankly, I'm sick of it and it's not a healthy way for me to live. It may seem like I'm running away from my problems but honestly, I'll go insane if I stay."

"You know I'll support you in whatever you want to do." Alexis took a few steps closer, minimizing the distance between them. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? Where will you go?"

"I can't watch Elizabeth and Jason, and Lucky for the matter any more." Sam sighed heavily. "I need to be able to breathe. I'm going to Quantico, Virginia. I've been looking into becoming a PI and I figure it's a good place to start."

Alexis pulled Sam into a tight hug. "But you'll call and we'll visit." She didn't imply that it was question.

Sam laughed dryly, returning her embrace. "Of course. You, Kristina, Molly and Nikolas will be the only people I'll miss."

"I don't want you to leave." Alexis admitted. "But I understand why you have to."

"I figured you would." Sam nodded, pulling back to look up at her. "Right now, you're the only who does…understand me anyway."

"You're a survivor Sam and a fighter." Alexis brushed Sam's hair out her face and kissed her forehead. "You'll get through this."

"I will, promise."


	2. Phone Call

**Chapter One: **

_March 2010, Quantico Virginia_

When she woke up that morning, Sam McCall had no way of knowing that by the end of the day, she would be on her way back to Port Charles and the past she had been trying to forget. In hindsight, she would note the irony of her return to Port Charles being almost two years to the day that she had left. But up until Alexis called, she had thought it had been a really good day.

She had wrapped up a cheating spouse case rather neatly and been paid handsomely for her trouble. And while business was doing well at McCall PI, she could put the extra funds towards the tropical vacation she had been dreaming about. Her assistant and technical genius, Artie McIntyre had opted to field calls and file paperwork for her, allowing her the rare three day weekend. Sam wasn't dumb enough to turn down a weekend like that.

Now, if she could convince John to join her this evening for some much needed hot tub time, she'd cap the day off as one of her best in the past month.

She already had her cell phone in hand as she pushed open the gate and entering the main courtyard of her walk-up apartment building. She wasn't surprised when his voicemail picked up after three rings. John normally didn't answer his phone before five.

"Hey Babe, it's me." Sam opted to leave him a message. "Good news. I wrapped my case up so my evening is looking open after all. I was thinking, you, me, my hot tub, make a little love that's over do…" She added with a more flirtatious tone. "Let me know if that interests you. Love you."

She dropped her phone into her back pocket as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Her keys jangled cheerfully as she slid one into the lock of her front door, the tumbler falling back to allow her in.

She peeled off her leather jacket, hanging it up in the entryway closet before heading back toward the kitchen. She was in the mood for wine, cheese and crackers with her hot tub experience and if John showed up, well, she'd been in the mood for other activities too. But for the moment, she was looking forward to unwinding after what had begun as a busy week.

Sam loved her life in Quantico. She loved her career. For the first time, she was doing something she was proud of and was on the right side of the law. She was not only helping people, but still appeasing her own adventurous side. Granted, most of her cases tending to revolve around cheating spouses, but it paid and she still got to use her former con skills. Getting her Private Investigator's license had been just what she needed upon starting over in Quantico.

Of course, having John McBain around didn't hurt either. Having spent her formative years on the wrong side of the law, and then having been involved with Jason and Sonny back in Port Charles, Sam had initially been leery of the FBI Agent. But over time, she had started to see beyond his badge. And as their connection grew deeper, Sam found herself falling for the man he was.

John had listened to her in a way no ever had before, not even Jason. She could tell him everything, even the most painful parts of her past and he had almost given her an objective opinion. He would tell her when she was wrong, or reassure her where she had been right. He had no expectations of her, other than to simply be what she was and find happiness. He'd offered his professional help whenever she needed it on cases and when the world felt too heavy on her shoulders, he would help shoulder the weight. It hadn't come as too much of a surprise when she'd finally given into her feelings for him and vice versa.

Sam hummed to herself as she uncorked the bottle of Moscato she had purchased earlier in the week. She poured herself a full glass before heading back into the bedroom to change into her suit and robe. She could already feel the tension of the week seeping out of her muscles and she hadn't even sank into the water yet.

She was in the process of pulling her dark tresses up into a rather messy bun when her cell phone began to chime persistently from the pocket of the jeans she'd discarded.

Securing the hair elastic, Sam bent down to retrieve the ringing device, hoping it was John returning her call. Her eyes popped wide with surprise when she read Alexis's name on her caller ID.

Her mother called her twice during the week, usually on Sundays and Wednesdays. They would chat for at least an hour, Alexis keeping tabs on her eldest daughter and filling Sam in on the comings and goings of her sisters, Molly and Kristina.

Since they had just spoke the previous evening, Sam was curious as to why Alexis would be calling her again so quickly. "Mom?" She answered the call.

"Sam." Alexis's voice was strained on the other end, as though she were fighting back her own hysteria. "I need you to come to Port Charles."

"Mom," A frisson of dread raced down Sam's spine at the sound of her mother's distress. "What's wrong?"

"Kristina's in the hospital." Alexis choked out. "Sam," Her voice trembled in her ear. "Someone attacked her and beat her mercilessly."

The blood that pulsed in Sam's veins turned to ice, she didn't hesitate in her next words. "I'm on my way."

* * *

"John," Once again Sam had her cell phone pressed to her ear, only this time she was behind the wheel of her GMC Envoy, already en route to New York. "Change of plans. That hot tub date is going to be post phoned again. I'm going to be out of town for a while. I'm not sure how long."

She merged onto I-95 North and punched her gas pedal. "There's a family emergency and I'm on my way to Port Charles. I left Artie in charge at my office. I'll keep my cell on and you can call me when you get a chance. Sorry for being so sudden. Love you." She added before hanging up.

She set her phone on top of the bag sitting in the passenger seat. She was telling the truth when she mentioned she wasn't sure how long she would be in Port Charles. From what she was able to get out of Alexis, someone had come into the house while Kristina was home alone and beaten her bloody. Luke's son Ethan Lovett had apparently found Kristina when he had gone to the house to apologize for a fight they'd had earlier and brought her straight to the hospital. Kristina was slipping in and out of consciousness and had yet to name her attacker.

Sam knew all too well what her sister was going through. She knew the feeling of helplessness when faced with someone who could so easily overpower you. She knew how skewed Kristina's sense of self worth would be after this. She would feel weak, ostracized, damaged. Like a house with shattered windows and cracks in the foundation.

Not too long ago Sam had been the victim of violent abuse. She had been involved with a man who had broken her down, beaten her up whenever it suited him. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with it, to press charges, put him in prison and move on with her life. Not until meeting Jason several years later did she learn how to trust and believe in herself and in love again.

She had gone through it alone all those years ago. She would make sure Kristina did not. Not only did Kristina have the rest of her family, but Sam would get her through this on the simple basis that she understood what Krissy was feeling in a way that no one else in her life could.

Sam's thoughts took pause when her phone began to light up and ring, this time John's name and number flashed across the screen, accompanied by a rare picture of his smiling face.

"Hey." She answered. "You got my message?"

"What happened?" He skipped over any pleasantries, going right to the point. There was an underlying tone of concern in his voice that made Sam smile slightly. No one could ever accuse John McBain of not caring.

"My mother called." Sam explained. "My sister's in the hospital. Apparently someone attacked her at home and beat her up pretty bad."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's stable." Sam switched lanes to pass a slower moving car. "She's going in and out of consciousness right now, but the Doctors say it's a concussion and some really bad bruising. Physically she'll be fine."

"Does she know who attacked her?" He asked and she wondered if he realized he had put on his Cop's voice.

"She hasn't been awake long enough to say." Sam replied. "But when I find out who it is…there's going to be hell to pay."

"I'll put in a call to the PCPD." John offered. "See what I can find out for you. And I'll wrap some things up here and join you in a day or so."

"John," Sam's voice softened, touched by his concern. "You don't have to…"

"She's your family, Sam." He interrupted gently. "I want to help you help her. And since I can't help in the way that you can, I can see what I can do about finding the guy who did this to her."

"Let's hope you find him before her father and his men do." Sam muttered under her breath. "At least if you find him he'll suffer for the rest of his life in prison."

"You let me worry about finding her attacker and handling Sonny Corinthos." John said firmly. "I want you to focus on your family."

"Thank you." She said gratefully.

"I'll see you soon." He promised. "And we'll make up for missed hot tub time."

"Ooh, sounds good." She couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "See you soon."

"I love you, Sam."

"Love you too."

* * *

Jason Morgan arrived at General Hospital twenty minutes after Sonny had called him. While he had very little or nothing to do with Kristina most days, she was still Sonny's daughter, which meant Jason was partially responsible for her the way he was for all of Sonny's kids, barring Dante.

"What happened?" He asked, approaching Sonny, who was pacing a hole in the linoleum floor. "How's Kristina?"

"Bruises on her face." Sonny could barely get the words out he was so furious. "Her eye is swollen shut. And all I can think about is some animal," He punched his fist into his own hand. "beating the hell out of my little girl."

Jason's heart felt heavy at the news. "Sorry. Sonny, I'm sorry." He shook his head in disgust at anyone who could attack a young girl, or any woman that way.

"I want to find this Son of a Bitch and kill him." Sonny swore vehemently. "But with Claudia's trial, I can't risk it."

"I know." Jason sighed. "You can't do anything right now. But listen to me, right now you need to focus on Kristina. She's going to need you."

"The person who did this has to die." Sonny glared at him hotly. "And I need you to make the arrangements once we find out who did this to her."

"Sonny I will find out who did this to her and I'll take care of it, but right now," Jason shook his head. "Kristina is going to need your support. So the only thing you should be thinking about is how to be there for her."

Sonny opened his mouth to protest when he caught sight of Alexis coming out of Kristina's room. "Alexis." He moved around Jason to approach her. "How is she?"

"She's awake." Alexis's voice was thick with tears. "But she refuses to talk about what happened. She'll only answer Dr. Patrick's questions about her well being. She won't tell me anything about who did this to her."

"Jason," Sonny looked over his shoulder at him imploringly. "Maybe she'll tell you."

"I highly doubt it." Alexis shook her head, dismissing the notion. "If she won't talk to me, she won't tell Jason anything."

"Well someone has to get through to her." Sonny bristled. "We need to find out who's responsible for putting her here."

"You think I don't know that." Alexis's tone chilled by several degrees. "You think I don't want to kill whoever hurt my child? But I can't force Kristina to talk about it."

"Maybe I can ask Carly to come down and speak with her?" Jason suggested. "She is Kristina's Godmother."

"I think we should just let her rest for now." Alexis looked suddenly weary, rubbing her arms as if warding off a chill. "She's been through enough for one night. She might be willing to talk about it in the morning."

Sonny looked like he wanted to argue, but one quelling look from Jason had him snapping his mouth closed.

"I'm going to call, Lucky." Jason announced. "I'll retrace Kristina's routine from today, see what I can find out."

"I appreciate that Jason." Alexis nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry about Kristina." He told her honestly. "I'll do what I can to help."

"Thank you."

"I'll check in with you later." Sonny finally spoke again, this time calmer as he dismissed him.

With a final nod, Jason spun his heel and headed out of the hospital, his phone in hand as he dialed Lucky Spencer.

* * *

It was amazing how little Port Charles had changed in her two years away, Sam couldn't help but think as she strode the General Hospital's parking garage. Driving through the familiar streets had been to her having never left. No structural changes or new businesses anywhere. She wasn't sure whether to be amused or sad that it was as if she still lived here.

She stopped at the elevator, waiting for the cabled box to make its descent. Agitated from a five hour drive, and worry over her sister, she tapped the toe of her black leather boots impatiently.

The doors finally slid open with a ping and Sam stepped inside. She pressed the button for main lobby, folding her arms over her chest while she waited. The elevator slowly made it's ascent from the ground floor, cheesy violin music playing in the background.

When it came to a stuttering halt, Sam muttered under her breath, stepped forward when the doors slid open again and nearly collided with the cotton and denim covered chest of Lucky Spencer.

"Sam?!" He grasped her upper arms to steady her from the near collision, eyes wide with shock when he recognized her face.

"Lucky." She offered him a fleeting smile.

"You're here." He pulled her into a tight hug, startling her. "It's good to see you, even under the circumstances."

She awkwardly returned his embrace. There was once a time where she would have welcomed any kind of contact from Lucky. He had been instrumental in aftermath of her break up with Jason. He had even saved her life after Diego Alcazar tried to kill her. But Sam had left town before they even had a chance of reconciling the mangled remains of their unexpected romance.

"You're working on Kristina's attack?" She asked. No matter what happened between them personally, Lucky was a good and dedicated cop who would do right by her sister.

"With Detective Dante Falconeri." He nodded, releasing her. "I don't know if you met him…"

"I didn't." She shook her head. "But I know enough about him from what Kristina and Molly told. Another Corinthos child."

"Sonny gets around." Lucky joked quietly.

"He does manage to impregnate everyone." She agreed. "Has Kristina said anything?"

"Nothing." He informed her with regret. "She won't talk to Dante or me. She won't talk to Alexis, Sonny or Jason either. She's basically mute unless Dr. Patrick asks her how she's feeling and even then it's mostly one word answers."

Sam sighed, not surprised but hoping otherwise. "I need to go see her."

"Of course." Lucky stepped aside. "You should be with your family."

"Thanks Lucky. Let me know if you find anything will you? I'll be in town for awhile." Sam tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Sure." He nodded, watching begin walk away. "Hey Sam?"

She paused, looking at him over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"It's really good to see you." He grinned boyishly at her, eyes twinkling with genuine happiness for the first time in weeks.

This time she returned his smile genuinely. "Thanks Lucky. It's good to see you too." She gave him a little wave and continued to the front desk.

"Hello Epiphany." She greeted the long time nurse. "Can you tell me where to find Kristina Davis."

"Damn shame what happened to your sister." Epiphany shook her head. "She's in room 317 down the hall there, Sam."

"Thanks." Sam didn't stick around for further comment. Right now, she just wanted to see Kristina for herself so she could figure out how to help her.

"Sam!" Molly Lansing shrieked when she rounded the corner, where a crowd of people waited outside the room.

The youngest of the Davis girls flew into Sam's arm, hugging her tightly around the middle. "You're here!"

"Hey!" Sam held her close, glad at least one of her sisters was safe and sound. "Where's Mom?"

"She's in with Kristina." Molly looked tearfully up at her eldest sister. "She looks so bad, Sam. I never seen so many bruises."

"Oh Molly," Sam stroked a hand through her sister's hand in a gesture of comfort. "I know. But she's going to be okay. I promise."

"You'll help her, right?" Molly's eyes implored her. "Isn't that why you're here?"

"Absolutely." Sam assured her. "I came back to help Krissy. Where's Mom?"

"She's in with Krissy." Molly explained. "I've been waiting with Morgan, Michael, Carly and Uncle Sonny."

Sam looked beyond Molly to where Michael, Morgan, Carly and Sonny waited, all looking surprised to see her. Sam couldn't blame them. She hadn't seen or spoken to the four of them in two years and she hadn't necessarily left on the best of terms with Sonny. And she had never really seen eye to eye with Carly.

"Sam." Sonny was the first to greet her. "Thank you for coming."

"She's my sister." Sam reminded him, her tone uncertain. "Of course I'd come."

"Hi Sam!" Morgan waved to her, while his brother offered Sam a hesitant smile. She marveled at how grown up Michael looked, he seemed to be the one thing that had changed in her time away.

"Sam." Carly resisted the urge to sneer and offered her a curt nod instead.

"Carly." Sam replied, just as coolly.

"Kristina might talk now that Sam's here." Oblivious to the underlying tension, Molly gripped her sister's hand tightly. "She tells Sam everything anyway."

"It will be good for Kristina to see you." Sonny agreed, shifting in the chair he sat in. "Alexis is in there with her now, but I'm sure it would be all right if you joined them."

Sam nodded, squeezing Molly's hand gently. "I'm going to go in and see Krissy. You wait with Michael and Morgan okay?"

"Okay." Molly assured her. "I'm really glad you're here, Sam."

Sam kissed the top of her head. "Me too."

Taking a deep breath, Sam released Molly's hand and approached the door to room 317. Gripping the handle, she prepared herself for whatever awaited her on the other side and opened the door.


	3. Past Revisited

Chapter Two:

She never could have prepared herself for the sight that greeted her. Krissy. Her sweet, beautiful baby sister with the 4.0 GPA and Ivy League goals lay broken and damaged on the hospital bed. She wore a sexless white hospital gown and a thin IV poked out of the crook of her elbow and was attached to a small bag fluid that hung on a stand over her bed.

The skin around her face that wasn't bruised was completely ashen. Her right eye was a livid color of purple and swollen completely shut and the right side of her mouth was split from the force of someone's fist. The look in her good eye was haunted and the expression of her face was one of complete defeat.

For Sam, it was almost like looking into a mirror and seeing herself nearly ten years ago. Seeing Kristina lying there, having gone through what Sam had endured, made her feel more helpless than she had before arriving.

"Sam." Alexis's voice oozed with relief. "You made it."

"Sam." Kristina's voice was much softer, barely audible. Suddenly some color seemed to return to her cheeks. "You're here."

"Of course I am." Sam closed the door behind her and closed the distance between herself and the bed, placing a supportive hand on her mother's shoulder. "You're my sister. How could I not come?"

"I wasn't expecting you." Kristina looked at Alexis before her good eye flicked back to her sister. "Did Mom call you?"

"Of course she did." Sam smiled sadly at her. "Krissy, I am so sorry you had to go through this."

"Mom." Kristina looked to their mother, her voice pleading. "Can I have a few minutes alone with Sam."

Alexis nodded, relieved to see Kristina talking. "Sure Baby. I'm going to check on your sister."

Sam waited until Alexis left them alone before sitting down on the edge of Kristina's bed. She brushed Krissy's hair out of her face. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I thought I'd be in more pain." Kristina admitted, avoiding the question.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, understanding what she meant. "Well they have given you a lot of drugs. The pain's probably going to really set in over the next few days. But I promise you you're going to get through this."

"You told me," Kristina hesitated, not sure Sam wanted to talk about it anymore than she did. "That you've been hurt like this when men hit you."

"Yes, I have." Sam admitted with a heavy sigh. "And those were some of the darkest times of my life. But, you know what, it made me much stronger. I got through it. And I know it's pretty hard for you to hear right now, but you're going to get strong from this too."

Sam took Kristina's hand in hers. "You're going to learn how to define your boundaries. Discover what you will and won't put up with. And though you're probably thinking it, none of this is your fault. So don't blame yourself. No man should ever put their hands on a woman. Period."

"I'm glad you're here." Kristina admitted.

Sam squeezed her hand gently. "I'm glad I'm here too. We're going to get through this together, okay?"

"Okay." Kristina nodded slowly.

* * *

"She's talking." Alexis breathed a huge sigh, feeling some of the weight lift from her shoulders. "Sam's been through this herself. I hoped she'd be able to get Kristina to confide in her."

"Do you think she'll tell Sam what happened?" Sonny asked from beside her.

Both parents looked through the glass into the room where the two sisters were talking. They had identical looks of relief on their faces in seeing Kristina begin to open up to Sam.

"I don't know." Alexis shrugged. "I hope so."

"You were right to call Sam." Sonny told her, his tone one of approval. "Kristina seems better already since she walked into the room."

"She calls her all the time." Alexis informed him. "When we go down to visit, she spends most of her time filling Sam in on everything going on in her life. She really misses her. Sometimes I wish I could convince Sam to move back to Port Charles."

"Why wouldn't she?" Sonny asked, brow creasing in confusion. "Her family's here and Kristina needs her."

"She finally made a good life for herself." Alexis explained. "After everything that went wrong for her here, I can't ask her to give it all up and come back to the place where she was hurt enough, angry enough to spiral out of control. She's here now, Sonny, that will have to be enough."

Sonny rubbed the back of his neck impatiently. "I just hope Kristina will finally tell her what happened and who did this to her."

* * *

"I'm assuming the police have questioned you already." Sam gave her a sympathetic look. "Did you at least get someone nice like Lucky?"

"Dante." Kristina corrected with a slight shrug. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I know you don't." Sam said gently. "But you're going to have to at some point because the man who did this has to pay. He needs to be brought to justice because if you don't say anything Kristina, it gives him the chance to do this to someone else. Please, don't think you're being noble by protecting him."

"Dad will have Jason kill him." Kristina whispered, eyes frightened at the thought of just what Jason would do.

Sam straightened, realization dawning on her. Kristina wasn't talking, not because she was afraid for herself, but because she was afraid her father would put a hit out on her attacker. Which, was exactly what Sonny would do.

"Tell you what," Sam offered. "You tell me what happened, and I promise you, I will personally make sure that Sonny doesn't put a hit out, okay?"

Kristina hesitated. "You promise? You won't let Dad or Jason kill him?"

"I'll deal with Jason myself if I have to." Sam nodded reassuringly, though internally dealing with Jason was the last thing she wanted to do.

Kristina took a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay." She exhaled. "It was Kiefer, my boyfriend. He did this to me."

Sam fought the urge to cringe, knowing all to well the scenario now. "This isn't the first time he's hit you, is it?"

Kristina shook her head, eyes getting wet. "No." She admitted, voice growing thick with emotion.

"Let me guess," Sam felt her own eyes get a little moist. "It started as just a couple slaps here and there, whenever he'd get mad. Then he'd come back and apologize, tell you he didn't mean it and it would never happen again? So you'd forgive him, but it happened again anyway."

"Yeah." Kristina nodded, relieved that she didn't have to explain it all. "Then it got worse the angrier he got."

"What set him off the other night, Krissy? What made him go this far?" Sam pressed, tightening her grip on her sister's hand in support.

"He was mad about Ethan." Kristina began to sob in earnest. "He thought I was cheating on him and I wasn't. I begged him to believe me, then to stop hurting me, but he wouldn't. I thought he was going to kill me."

"Oh Baby." Sam pulled her into a gentle hug.

"He said I shouldn't have made him so mad." Kristina cried against her shoulder. "He ran out after. I don't know how long I lay there crying before Ethan showed up. He brought me here."

"I'm going to have to thank him later." Sam kissed the top of Kristina's hair. "Krissy, will you tell the police what you just told me?"

"But Dad.." Kristina lifted her head, expression panicked.

"Won't kill him." Sam said firmly. "But Krissy, if we press charges, you can send him to jail so he can't hurt anyone else. Please, he needs to pay for what he's done not just because you deserve it, but so that he never hurts anyone else again."

"I don't think I can go through it." Kristina sniffled. "I don't want to talk to Dante! Dante has caused so much trouble for Michael and…"

"Will you tell John?" Sam asked, gently interrupting her. "I can get him to take your statement if that would help? Would he make you more comfortable? Or I could get Lucky and…"

Kristina paused, before finally relenting. "I think…I might be able to talk to John. He won't think I'm weak and pathetic, will he?"

"No." Sam assured her, smiling through her own tears. "He's going to think you're strong for telling the truth. He was going to come up to help catch your attacker anyway. You can tell him what you told me and I'll make sure he arrests Kiefer so Sonny and Jason can't get to him."

"Okay." Kristina leaned back, exhausted. "I trust you, and John."

* * *

Sam wiped the last of her tears as she left Kristina's hospital room. Her sister had finally drifted off to sleep. Exhausted by the combination of her admission and the painkillers they'd given her. Sam had sat with her for a long time afterwards, before finally getting up to call John.

Alexis had taken Molly home earlier and Carly had done the same with the boys. Sonny hung around a little while longer before finally taking off, which made Sam grateful as she stepped out into the hall. She wasn't in the mood to deal with any of them after what Kristina had told her. The ghosts of her own past were haunting her as she watched Kristina sleep.

She rubbed both hands over her face, her own exhaustion from the drive and emotional turmoil beginning to set in. Shoving her hair back from her face, she reached into her pocket to find her cell phone.

"How's Kristina?" John answered after the fourth ring.

"It's bad John." Sam admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Not just physically and that's pretty bad. She's covered in bruises and one of her eyes is swollen shut."

John sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry Sam. I'm sorry for Kristina and that this happened to her."

"It's so hard to look at her and know exactly what she's going through because I lived through it." Sam continued. "I know what it's like to be overpowered by a man, to be unable to fight back against someone stronger than you are. I know how helpless she felt, waiting for it to stop, for someone to save her or for him to get tired enough to leave her be."

"Sam…" His voice softened as it always did when she talked about the painful parts of her past. "She's going to be okay, just like you are. And she has you to help get her through it."

"I got her talking." Sam rubbed at her forehead in frustration. "She didn't want to tell me at first, but I got her to tell me what happened. And the more she told me, it seemed like she emulating me, her cool, wild older sister."

"Sam," John soothed. "You're amazing and you look out for Kristina. I've seen it when she comes to visit you. But, she makes her own choices and there's no way that you could have prevented this."

"I just wish," She blinked back tears, aching to be telling him this face to face. "That there was something more I could do. Maybe if I came back here more, visited her here I could have seen what was happening."

"You can't think like that." She could almost see him shaking his head. "You can't change what happened. But you can be strong for Kristina and you can support her as she finds her own strength. Convince her to press charges against the guy who did this to her."

"About that," Sam wiped a hand under her eyes, removing the excess moisture. "I convinced her to press charges, but she doesn't want to speak to the police here. I think they make her a little uncomfortable. Would it be possible for you to take her statement when you get here?"

"I might have to have one of the local officers sit in on it," John replied. "But it shouldn't be a problem. Tell Kristina I'll be in to see her tomorrow."

"I'll call Lucky," She said. "One of the local detectives here. He's an old friend and he could get it okayed with the Commissioner. So you don't have to pull rank or anything."

"That would be Lucky Spencer right?" John chuckled in her ear. "Have your Ex clear a path for me and I'll do the rest."

"I forget that I told you about Lucky." Sam laughed at herself. "What we shared was complicated to say the least."

"Anything before me doesn't matter unless it's not over." John assured her. "I'll be on the road tonight, should be in Port Charles early tomorrow morning."

"I really appreciate this, John, what you're doing for me and for my sister." Sam felt some of the tension she'd been carrying ease out of her muscles. "You're a really good man."

"Haven't you figured out how much you mean to me yet?" He teased gently. "Of course I'd be there for you and your family. Sit tight okay? I'll be there soon. I love you."

"Love you too." She replied before ending the call and placing her phone back into her coat pocket.

* * *

John McBain plugged his cell phone into the car charger and tossed it carelessly onto the passenger seat. He reached for the volume knob on the SUV's stereo controls and turned the music back up, nodding his head along with Metallica. Classic, mean edged rock was the only way to deal with traffic in his opinion.

Sam McCall had taught him that little habit. He'd never been particularly interested in music and often would grow impatient in traffic. Then he had started driving around Quantico with her and she had used rock music to keep her mellowed out during gridlock.

He could clearly remember the first time he had met the small, but feisty brunette. She had been sitting in a church, praying for the safe return of a child named Jake, who had been kidnapped by Russians. She had been so conflicted, so sad that he couldn't stop himself from placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A connection had begun that night. Like a vague sense of familiarity, even though they had only just met, John felt he had known her all his life. Sam often joked that maybe they had been together in another life. John only knew that he was comfortable enough with Sam to tell her everything, including things he never told Natalie, his former love.

It had taken Sam a little longer to open up to him. As a former con artist, she was used to being wary of those who carried a badge. Her previous relationship with suspect mob enforcer Jason Morgan hadn't changed her opinion either. In fact, it had taken most of that first year for Sam to even discuss Jason with him, and even then she left out key details in order not to implicate her Ex in any crimes.

Still, when she needed help on cases he was there to lend a hand and she gradually began to trust him. She even admitted that they made a really good team the more they came to rely on one another. Then they began spending time together outside of work and talking about more personal things with one another.

When she discussed her former life, he did everything he could to remain objective. Even during her most painful experiences regarding Nico, Jason, Elizabeth, Lucky and Jake, he didn't judge her for it. She had been awed when he merely agreed on where she had screwed up and on where she had been justified to be angry.

She blossomed under his friendship, becoming feisty, confident and very good at her job. She could be impulsive and a little reckless, and there were several times he had to get her out of sticky situations, but for the most part, she was one of the best Private Investigators in Quantico.

He was just as proud as she was when McCall PI began to really flourish to the point where she could hire Artie to help her and give her days off. She began talking about vacations and hobbies she wanted to take up. And eventually their friendship just eased into something more. A few friendly kisses turned into heated making out, and making out soon turned into making love.

Over Christmas, John finally admitted to himself and to her what he couldn't deny anymore; he was in love with her.

She loved him too. He could see it in her face when she looked at him. She trusted him with her life, allowed him to get close with her family and relied on him as much as he relied on her.

But on the same token, John McBain wasn't stupid. He was a trained observer, with a knack for profiling people. Sam McCall loved him, as much as she could, but there was still a huge part of her that John couldn't seem to touch no matter what he did. There was a part of her that completely closed off.

It had taken him some time to figure it out, but he had. Much like Natalie still occupied a little bit of his heart, Jason Morgan still had claim on Sam's. It was obvious by the pain that flashed in her eyes on the rare occasion they discussed him or how she still protected Morgan even after he had hurt her so deeply.

And while it made him a little hypocritical considering his own unresolved feelings surrounding Natalie. Sam's loyalty to Jason baffled him and though he never showed it, it pissed him off. Jason Morgan was a criminal, a murderer, though he'd never been convicted. And though she never out right admitted it, he had threatened Sam at some point following their break up. He could tell by her reaction; the dropping of her eyes, the nervous way she bit her lower lip, the hesitance in her voice when she denied it.

John and Natalie might have had their issues, but he had never threatened her or vice versa. But then, neither of them were murderers. John had killed before, but only in the line of duty. So for Sam to keep protecting a man who had hurt her so badly emotionally before they finally broke up and then threatened her after, was irritating. But it was her choice and he would respect it, he just didn't have to like it.

The GPS on his dashboard informed him that he had two hours more before he arrived in Port Charles. That gave him two hours to put on his Agent's shoes and get to work. And maybe, if he was lucky, he could help Sam and Kristina, and bring down Corinthos and Morgan while he was there.

After all, he had some unfinished business with Sonny as it was. Bagging Sam's former boyfriend would be a bonus.

* * *

Sam froze when it happened, that sensation of awareness that tingled it's way down her spine. She'd always been able to identify him just by the prickle along the back of her neck and the way her heart rate increased in speed when he was near. It shouldn't still be there after two years, but it was.

She knew the instant he saw her, caught the falter his footsteps, heard his sharp intake of breath. "Sam?" His voice was soft, surprise lingered in his tone.

In that moment, the two years and physical distance she had put between them, seemed to fade away as she pivoted to face him. "Jason."

His hair had been longer two years ago. He'd cut it back to the short, spiky style she preferred. But other than his hair, nothing else about him had changed physically. He still wore the same black leather jacket, black cotton Hanes t-shirt, jeans and motorcycle boots.

He knew he was looking her over as well. Unlike him, her appearance had changed a little over the past two years. Her hair was back to it's rich, dark chocolate color and she also wore it a tiny bit shorter these days. Her style of clothing hadn't changed much, just updated with the current fashion trends. And when she had last regarded him with disdain and mistrust in her gaze, now she eyed him with wariness and oddly enough resignation.

In a small town like Port Charles, Sam knew it was only a matter of time before she eventually ran into Jason, especially if she planned on keeping him from going after Kiefer Bauer personally. She had just hoped she would have been better prepared for it, not right after she had just been emotionally vulnerable with her sister.

"You're back." Jason said it as a statement, not a question. The looked on his face was inscrutable, but then he never had been an easy read.

"Alexis called." Sam replied, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. "I couldn't stay away."

"That's good. I'm sure having you here will help Kristina." Jason nodded, having a million questions, but unsure how to ask them.

He hadn't seen nor heard from Sam in two years and Alexis refused to tell anyone anything about Sam's whereabouts. Now here she stood, back from wherever she had gone, looking better than when she left. All the hurt, resentment and bitterness no longer clouded her eyes, but he couldn't help but feel regret at the cautious way she looked at him now.

"I got her talking anyway." Sam divulged carefully, biting her lower lip in a way that indicated she was nervous and would skirt around the truth.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Jason's straightened in attention, watching her carefully.

"Yes." Sam admitted. "She told me. She's going to give an official statement when she wakes up from her nap."

"Who did this to her?" He asked.

"You'll find out when she's talked to the police. She doesn't want you or Sonny involved." Sam's voice held the under current of steel. "I promised her that I'd keep you both out of it and let the police handle it for her."

"Kristina is Sonny's daughter." Jason reminded her. "I have a duty to protect Sonny's kids and…"

"She's also my sister." Sam folded her arms over her chest. "And I have a duty to keep my promise to her and protect her. Her attacker will see justice, Jason, but not your way and not Sonny's."

"Sam," Jason pressed. "You need to tell me what happened…"

"I stopped needing to tell you anything a long time ago, Jason." Sam shook her head, cutting him off. "I don't owe you anything anymore. You made sure of that when you threatened to kill me two years ago."

* * *

**a/n: I love strong, independent Sam. I love her with Jason too, but I get so proud of her when she stands up for herself! Anyway, drop me a review on your way out please! It'll take you thirty seconds, just tell me what you think. **


	4. Confrontations

Chapter Three:

The moment the words left her lips, Jason felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. He could remember clearly, the moment he had issued the threat. He had gone to her in a stone cold rage, and warned her that if she didn't stay away from Elizabeth and her children, he would kill her. Back then, he had meant it. He had been so angry that he could have put a bullet in her head, execution style. The love they had once shared was the only thing that had saved her life that day.

Looking back on it now, he had forgotten what had driven Sam to do such deplorable things in the first place. He had been so focused on Elizabeth, he hadn't wanted to see just how damaged Sam was. Damage that had directly been caused by him.

"Sam-" He started to say, before she flung her hands up and cut him off.

"Let's not talk about this." She shook her head. "I didn't come back to Port Charles to rehash what happened between us. I'm here to help Kristina and that's what I'm going to do. So if we're done here-"

He sidestepped, blocking her path when she moved to walk away from him. "Sam, I-"

"I don't want to talk about this, Jason." Her dark brown orbs stared back at him, swirling with varying emotions. "I'm not the Sam you remember. I started a new life for myself. I've finally put all that pain behind me. I don't need you to bring it back."

"What's going on?"

Jason took an involuntary step back at the sharp sound of Carly's voice. The tall, stately blonde appeared at his right side, her eyes narrowed at Sam. "Carly-"

"You have no right to even speak to Jason after what you did." Carly sneered, her chin jutted out defiantly. It was a clear sign that she was looking for a fight.

"I don't want to have this conversation with Jason." Sam's eyes flashed dangerously. "And I certainly am not going to have it with you, Carly. And considering none of this involves you anyway, I suggest you butt out of it."

"Listen-"

"Carly enough!" Jason's voice cut off whatever insipid tirade she was about to go on.

"But, she-"

"Enough!" This time Jason said it with a tone of such finality that Carly snapped her mouth closed, her expression twisted in irritation.

Sam pressed her lips together in a thin line, currently wanting to be anywhere but standing in a face off with the two people in front of her.

"Our personal feelings aside," Jason continued, turning his blue eyes back toward Sam. "Kristina is the priority right now."

"Kristina is my priority." Sam corrected. "I made her promise, Jason and I'm going to keep it. Her attacker is not going to see justice Sonny's way. She'll made a statement to the police and let the justice system handle the rest."

"Who are you to decide anything?" Carly snapped. "You haven't been around for two years! And frankly, we were all better off with your lying, scheming ass gone!"

"Pot, Kettle, Carly?" Sam shook her head.

"Sam." Jason took a step forward and sideways, effectively putting himself between both women. "Just tell me what Kristina told you. I have an obligation to-"

"To what? Shoot who did this to her?" Sam cut him off. "If you think I haven't fantasized about doing the exact same thing, you're wrong. I would love to kill the bastard who put my sister in the hospital. But that's not what Kristina wants, and shooting someone doesn't change what happened."

"Oh get off your high horse, Sam." Carly snorted in heavy sarcasm. "Jason needs to handle this. Kristina is Sonny's daughter and-"

"SHE'S MY SISTER!" Sam shouted, her expression darkening with anger. "She's my sister. And out of the three of us, I'm the one who's been there for her all this time. When she's sad, or scared, or angry, she calls me! Not Sonny, not Jason and certainly not you, Carly!"

"Sam-"

"I wouldn't take another step, Morgan," A new voice, soft but authoratively joined the conversation. "Or we're going to have a problem."

* * *

"Do we have any suspects for Kristina Davis's attacker?" Dante Falconeri asked upon entering the precinct. "Besides-"

"My brother?" Lucky Spencer spared him a dry glance. "No. But Kristina hasn't talked yet either. Though that might change with Sam back in town."

"Sam?" Dante repeated the name, lifting his brows curiously.

"Her older sister." Lucky explained. "Alexis's daughter."

"Sam McCall." Dante nodded in understanding. "Jason Morgan's Ex."

"She's my Ex too." Lucky's gaze sharpened. "Don't go there, Dante. She hasn't been with Jason in over two years."

"Well, are she and Kristina close?" Dante sighed, resting his hip against the corner of Lucky's desk.

"Close enough that Sam came back here as soon as she found out Kristina was hurt." Lucky told him with a short nod. "She hasn't set foot in this town for two years. I didn't even hear from her those two years she was gone."

"Must hurt the ego." Dante managed a sympathetic smile.

"We had a very…weird break up." Lucky shrugged. "I was actually really happy to see her. I had thought we were working our way to getting back together, then she up and left. I keep thinking that if she hadn't, Elizabeth and I wouldn't have-"

"Don't torture yourself with thoughts like that, Man." Dante shook his head. "Who knows, maybe you got a second shot now?"

"I was thinking that, until her boyfriend called." Lucky said with a sad grin. "Apparently she's dating a Fed now. Agent John McBain. He's on his way here. He wants to take Kristina's statement, asked me to sit in on it so he wasn't stepping on local law enforcement's toes."

"Bad break." Dante mused. "We really going to hand this kind of case over to a Fed? I mean, she's my sister too."

"But she doesn't know you, and you don't know her." Lucky pointed out. "If Sam's been with this Agent McBain for any length of time, Kristina will know him better than she knows you. She might be more comfortable talking to him."

"It just burns my ass when the Feds come in and takeover." Dante admitted.

"The Feds aren't taking over." Lucky reminded him. "This is one Fed, who's doing this as a favor to Sam most likely. You can sit in on the interview if you want, or I'll do it."

"She's my sister." Dante sighed. "I may not know her, but I need to help her. I'll do it."

* * *

Ethan Lovett leaned against the bar, face buried in his hands. At this time in the day, The Haunted Star was deserted. The casino wouldn't open for another few hours and the regular employees were due to clock in for a while yet either. The quiet was exactly what Ethan had been craving when he arrived.

He'd been enduring speculative looks all day. His situation did not look good. He had been the last person Kristina had been seen with prior to her attack, and they'd had a rather volatile argument, right here in the Haunted Star in front of plenty of witnesses. And while Ethan might have grabbed her in an ungentlemanly manner, he had not been the one to put her in the hospital.

He had in fact been the one to bring her there after finding her lying in the middle of her living room, badly beaten. He'd gone to the house to see Kristina, to apologize and smooth things out. Instead he'd come up to an open front door, and overturned furniture. She'd been whimpering softly when he finally found her behind the couch.

She had panicked when he first touched her, thinking he was her attacker and accidentally scratched his face. The two cuts remained on his face now and didn't look good for him either. Even when she had recognized him and let him carry her out of the house.

The cops would see the scratches on his face and the stories of the witnesses who had seen their argument. He was practically waiting for Lucky to slap cuffs on him especially since Kristina had yet to name her attacker.

"Thought I'd find you here." Johnny Zacchara's voice caused him to lift his head as his friend hopped down the two steps onto the main floor.

"What do you want, Johnny?" Ethan ground out through grit teeth.

"Relax Ethel, you're so uptight these days." Johnny smirked, moving behind the bar to help himself to a drink. "I came here to cheer you up actually."

"How?" Ethan frowned at him.

"Word on the street is that Sam McCall is back in town." Johnny told him. "And if you're wondering who that is, she's Kristina's older sister."

"How does Kristina's older sister being in town cheer me up?" Ethan shook his head, annoyed at Johnny's games.

"Because," Johnny rolled his eyes. "Kristina is very close to big sister Sam, and if anyone is going to convince her to talk and clear the cloud of suspicion hanging over your head, it's Sam."

"You sound pretty sure of that." Ethan replied.

"I was here before Sam left town." Johnny pointed out, taking a healthy sip of bourbon. "And if Sam can get her to talk, you don't have to worry about the cops, or Sonny and Jason."

"She gets my name cleared, I fall in love with her." Ethan sighed in exasperation.

"Well that's just another way to get Jason Morgan back on your case." Johnny grinned wickedly. "So you might just want to give her a thank you card instead."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sam McCall is Jason Morgan's ex-girlfriend." Johnny explained, downing the rest of his drink in one swallow. "And your brother's as well."

"How many women has my brother shared with Jason?" Ethan said around a laugh.

"Just two that I know of." Johnny laughed with him. "Elizabeth and Sam, though Sam and Lucky kind of hooked up as a revenge deal against Elizabeth and Jason. It wasn't serious enough to keep her in town."

"Well then why would Jason care if anyone was with her?" Ethan asked curiously.

"Because, she's the only one who never tried to change him." Johnny set the empty glass down on the bar with a clunk. "Jason was with her for three years, before he screwed it all up. Still, a girl like that, especially in our kind business, you don't just forget about her. A part of her stays with you, always."

Ethan stayed quiet as Johnny's expression turned far off. It was obvious his friend was thinking about former girlfriend and Ethan's little sister, Lulu Spencer. He let his own thoughts drift towards Kristina, hoping that her older sister's arrival and influence would convince her to name her attacker.

* * *

"That was Alexis." Nikolas hung up the phone and turned to face Elizabeth, who sat huddled on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest.

She had been coming to Wyndemere more and more frequently the last few weeks since the news of their affair had broke. The whispers and stares of everyone town, plus the hurt she saw in Lucky's eyes had become a lot to take and she often came to Spoon Island to hide out.

"How's Kristina?" Liz asked, concerned etched on her ashen features.

"She's as well as to be expected." Nik told her. "I guess Alexis called Sam and she's back in town, which is helping. She's talking, to Sam anyway."

"Sam's back?" Liz repeated, her eyes going wide at the news. "But-"

"Kristina's her sister." He reminded her. "And they're close, even after Sam left town. Alexis takes the girls to visit Sam several times a year."

"I just thought," She shook her head and sighed. "Nevermind. I don't really have a right to judge Sam anymore do I? Not after everything I've done."

Nik didn't say anything for a long moment. He had considered himself pretty close with Sam before she had left town. But he wasn't privy to all the details of what had gone down between Sam, Elizabeth, Jason and Lucky. When he had asked about it, Liz had been quick to paint herself as the victim, blaming Lucky's drug addiction for her own actions and Sam's bitterness over losing Jason. Lucky himself had been pretty tight lipped as well, choosing to take some of blame, but put the rest of it on Jason.

And Sam had been the most silent about the entire situation barring Jason. She admitted to 'fucking up' as she put it and blamed Elizabeth for hiding the truth about Jake's paternity and Jason for betraying her. She had said to Nik that she was however responsible for her own actions and that she thought Lucky was the most innocent out of the four of them.

"She's my cousin." Nik said quietly. "She's my family and she's been good to me, so I love her. I plan on seeing her while she's in town."

"Of course." Elizabeth nodded. "You should. I wouldn't want to stop you from seeing your family, Nikolas. Especially since-"

"Alexis's family, Lucky, Lulu and John are all I have left? Besides Helena, but there's no love there." Nik finished her thought with a strained smile. "Which is exactly why I want to reach out to Sam. I don't want her to disappear on me for another two years."

"I feel kind of responsible." Elizabeth said quietly. "Like everything that happened between Jason and I drove her crazy and forced her to leave town."

"According to Alexis," Nik informed her. "Leaving town was the best thing for her. She got over Jason, lost the anger and bitterness and I guess got her PI's license. She has her own business that's doing well and is dating a cop? Or maybe he's FBI, someone in law enforcement."

Elizabeth choked out a laugh. "How does the most messed up out of the four us come out with her life on track and I'm the one making a mess now?"

"Elizabeth-" Nik began.

"No!" She got to her feet, the pillow she'd previously been holding hitting the floor. "The things she did, what she put Jason and I through-" She gestured wildly. "How does she wind up smelling like a rose and I'm the town whore?!"

Nik sighed. "Liz, we had an affair. Your husband is my brother. Lucky finally got his act back together and then we started sleeping together behind his back. It's one thing to have an affair, but it's another when it's in the family. Neither of us can look like good people after that."

"She watched Jake get kidnapped!" Elizabeth snarled. "She saw Maureen take him and then said nothing! Me, Lucky, Jason, all going out of our minds with worry and she said nothing!"

"I never said she was perfect, Elizabeth." Nik kept his voice calm, watching her carefully as she got more worked up. "But that was two years ago. Our indiscretion is more recent. She left town, fixed her life. Given time, so will you and me."

"I just can't stand the whispers and the stares." She rubbed her arms as if chilled. "I just feel so alone."

"I know." He pulled her into a hug. "But you're not alone Liz. You have me. You'll always have me."

* * *

Jason and Carly both pivoted to face who had spoken. The speaker was tall man, actually hovering an inch give or take above Jason's impressive height. His dark hair was parted on the side and hung straight to his jaw. His eyes were as dark as his hair, and were shrewdly fixed on Jason. He wore a pair of Levi's paired with a gray fitted sweater, underneath his leather jacket.

In the first instant their eyes met, Jason recognized the man for what he was, law enforcement. The casual, yet authorative stance, the watchful gaze, the way one hand rested by his hip, close to where he would carry a weapon. He had dealt with enough cops to recognize his kind without needing to see a badge.

"Who the hell are you?" Carly folded her arms across her chest and glared at him, her temper already on a short leash.

"John." Sam flew by Jason, causing him to blink in surprise when she threw herself into the other man's arms. "I'm so glad you're here."

John looked away from Jason and turned his attention to Sam, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. "Sorry it took me so long. How's Kristina?"

"Sleeping." Sam's voice was muffled by the material of his sweater. "She's agreed to talk to you. Then I want this guy arrested and rotting in a jail cell."

"I'll take care of it." John promised, his eyes meeting Jason's again. "Agent John McBain." He answered the unspoken question.

"Right," Sam pulled back and maneuvered herself to stand against John's side. "John, this is Carly Jacks and Jason Morgan."

"I recognized Morgan from his mug shot pictures." John's reply was simple, his tone giving nothing away.

"You're dating a Fed now?!" Carly's exclamation was incredulous.

"Sam and her family have chosen to go the lawful route, Morgan." John placed a hand lightly on Sam's lower back. "I'll take it from here."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Carly snapped. "Kristina is Sonny's daugher and Jason is Sonny's best friend. He has every right to be here. You-"

"He's with me, Carly." Sam's voice carried an undercurrent of frost. "He's also an FBI agent with means he's actually qualified to work on catching Kristina's attacker and making sure he goes to prison."

"You think you can just waltz back into town with your Fed boyfriend and start calling the shots after everything you've done?" Jason had to grab Carly by the arm to keep her from getting in Sam's personal space.

"She's my sister, Carly." Sam reminded her for the umpteenth time. "My mother called me to come help her. I'm here and I'm helping. And I'm doing a damn better job than you. What have you done other than butt your nose into business that doesn't concern you? Typical Carly, always have to find some way to put the attention on herself."

"Why you-"

"Seriously Carly, shut up!" Sam cut her off. "I didn't come back to Port Charles to get into petty arguments with you. My coming back has nothing to do with you. I came here for my sister. Which is why I'm taking John to talk to Kristina and walking away from this ridiculous conversation."

"I'll see you around, Morgan." John allowed Sam to lead him away, letting the comment drift over his shoulder as he passed.

Jason watched them head down the corridor towards Kristina's room, ignoring Carly's indignant sputtering beside him. Sam didn't even look back as they took their leave, she was already speaking to John in low tones, her guarded expression softening to share her true feelings with the man walking beside her.

It used to be him.

It had taken a long time to get past Sam's walls and convince her trust him. Her upbringing had made it so that she hadn't trusted anyone. But Jason had gotten through with perseverance. He could remember how reluctant they both had been to fall in love with one another. He was still reeling from his failed marriage to Courtney and she was expecting a baby that wasn't his.

And it had been undeniable. He had loved Sam more than he'd ever loved anyone, and that included Robin Scorpio who would always have a small piece of him. Sam had stolen the rest of his heart. For three years he had been the guy she'd open up to, confessing all her secrets, her fears, her hopes and dreams. They'd been a dynamic duo.

It had all gone to hell so quickly and then she was gone. For two years he hadn't seen nor heard from her. He hadn't even heard of her through someone else. She had erased herself from Port Charles, the ghost of her only in his memories.

"Can you believe her?" Carly ranted beside her. "To talk to you like that! Who does she think she is? She's no one. She's trash, always has been and-"

"Carly!" Jason jerked his head around and fixed her with a warning glare. "Enough. She is Kristina's sister and she has the right to be here. And she has the right to have John McBain interview Kristina. Maybe this can be solved without more violence if they arrest this guy and lock him up."

"Sonny would never let that happen and you know it." Carly scoffed. "As soon as she talks he's going to tell you to-"

"Carly!" Jason's voice filled with exasperation. "There's a Federal Agent in the building. Don't talk about that here. You know better than that."

Cary sucked in a deep breath and swallowed her temper. "You're right. It's just that seeing Sam, remembering what she did to you-"

"I wasn't innocent, Carly." Jason shook his head before she could continue. "I hurt Sam. I hurt her badly. She's not the only one to blame. And I would appreciate it if you didn't antagonize her while she's here. The last thing we need is you and Sam at each other's throats while we're trying to help Kristina."

Carly opened her mouth to protest but stopped when the elevator doors slid open and Dante stepped into the lobby.

He gave them both a curt nod. "You guys see an Agent John McBain around?"

"He's with Sam, they went to Kristina's room." Jason replied tersely.

"Right." Dante moved past them without saying anything else.

Jason shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, unused to being left out of the loop. He couldn't help but think that if things were different he'd be in there talking to Kristina and supporting Sam. Seems like John McBain had replaced him in more ways than one."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, but I wanted to write this chapter as best I could so I couldn't push it. I'm going to apologize for any Carly and Elizabeth fans, I'm not a fan of either woman. They both piss me off fairly often, so it's hard to write them in a good light. My GH females have been Robin, Emily and Sam. My guys being Stone and Jagger, way back in the day lol, Jason, Nikolas, and Lucky, now John McBain because Michael and Kelly's chemistry in undeniable, has been since their original PC roles of Caleb and Livvie. **

**Anyway, I have a pretty set outline for this fic. So I know who Sam chooses in the end, but I am interested that some of you guys are split, most want JaSam, but I've had a few McBammers around lol. I totally understand, I love the triangle, I call them McJaSam. I wish there was a way for her to have both lol. Technically with Jason "dead" on the show she can in a way, but I love and miss Steve and keep praying he'll come back in a year or so...**


	5. Family Ties

Chapter Four:

Sam paused outside Kristina's room, pivoting to face John and place a subtle but restraining hand on his forearm. "Fair warning, she's really reluctant to do this. She's traumatized and she's beat up pretty bad. And I-"

"I've interviewed abuse victims before Sam." John's tone was gentle and reassuring. "I'll do my best not to upset her. And, I'll take extra care because she's your sister and I care about her too."

"I know you do." Sam offered him a sheepish smile. "It's just-she's my baby sister, you know? It kills me, seeing her like this and-"

He gently grasped her shoulders and squeezed. "I know. I know it's hurting you. Just trust me to see her through this and then I'll take care of everything else."

"Agent John McBain?"

Both Sam and John turned to face the speaker. The man was a couple inches shorter than John, with a stockier build. He sported a shaggy hair style, but otherwise his appearance was clean cut.

"Detective Dante Falconeri." He introduced himself, holding up his badge. "I'm on Kristina Davis's case. I'm going to sit in on the interview with you as long as it doesn't distress Kristina."

"I thought I'd be working with a Detective Spencer?" John shook his hand affably.

"Originally, yes you were but-" Dante began to explain.

"Dante is Kristina's brother." Sam finished his sentence for him. "Half brother. Hi, I'm Sam, Kristina's older sister, Alexis's daughter."

Dante redirected his attention to her. "Right, Lucky told me about you. Nice to meet you."

John glanced between them both. "Are you two-?

"Kristina and I share the same father." Dante clarified. "Sam and Kristina share the same mother. So Sam and I have no blood relation barring Kristina."

"Oh." John nodded in understanding. "Well, are you ready to conduct the interview now, or-?"

"That's why I came down here." Dante nodded. "I want to help Kristina in any way I can."

John gave Sam's shoulder a quick rub. "I called Alexis when I got to town. She should be here any minute. She wants to sit with Kristina during the interview. Why don't you wait out here so it doesn't feel too crowded for Kristina?"

"Yeah. Okay. Sure." Sam agreed, with a reluctant expression on her face. "Mom should be in there with her anyway. She should hear from Kristina what happened."

"Are you going to be all right out here alone, or-?" John asked, concern in his eyes as he referred to her earlier confrontation with Jason and Carly.

"I'll be fine." Sam assured him. "Just help Kristina, that's the most important thing right now."

"I'll wait with her." A new voice offered.

"Nikolas!" Sam exclaimed, her face brightening.

"Alexis told me you were back." The Cassadine Prince was smiling as he approached them, pausing to give Sam a brief but warm hug. "You look great. It's so good to see you, even under these circumstances."

"Always so gracious." Sam chuckled. "Um-Nikolas, this is my boyfriend, John McBain, he's going to interview Kristina because he's FBI. John this is my cousin Nikolas."

"Nice to meet you." Nikolas shook his head. "Dante, how are you?"

"I'm doing all right." The young Detective nodded.

"Sam told me a bit about you." John told him. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"Alexis is here, she's just speaking with Sonny." Nikolas informed them. "They were talking by the nurse's station. I was told to pass along the message since I wanted to stop by check on Kristina and see Sam again."

"Well then," John shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Then as soon as Alexis arrives, we'll get this started."

* * *

"Jason." Sonny waved him over as Alexis headed towards Kristina's room where the others were waiting for her. "Sam got the whole story out of Kristina."

"I know." Jason gave Carly a warning look before continuing. "I spoke to Sam. The cops are going in to question Kristina now."

"Did Sam tell you who did this?" Sonny demanded. "Because whatever Bastard did this to my little girl needs to die-tonight."

"Sam wouldn't tell Jason anything." Carly sneered. "She pulled her whole self righteous act and then used her Fed boyfriend to back her up."

"Sam's boyfriend is here to interview Kristina." Sonny shook his head. "I guess Kristina was willing to talk to him so Sam called him and he came here. Dante's going to sit in on the interview with him. But I want to find this guy before they do. So we need to get the truth out of Sam-right now."

"Jason already tried." Carly rolled her eyes. "Then John McBain showed up and stonewalled him."

"He was protecting Sam." Jason said tightly. "Carly was getting in her face, trying to start a fight and Sam was getting agitated."

Sonny sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look Jason, you and Sam had a connection once. I need you to get her to talk to you. We need to find whoever did this to my little girl and make him pay."

"I can try again." Jason offered. "If I can get Sam alone, which means you, Carly, are going to go home."

"If you think-"

"Carly!" Sonny dropped his hand and glared at her. "Sam knows who did this to Kristina. That's more important, so stay away from her."

"Fine!" Carly scoffed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Excuse me for caring about Jason and trying to defend him from that tramp who tried to wreck his life."

"Carly," Jason's tone was final. "Go home."

Though her expression was thunderous, Carly spun on her heel and stormed over to the elevators. Both Sonny and Jason waited until the doors slid closed behind her before continuing their conversation.

"Do you think you can get Sam to tell you what Kristina said?" Sonny kept his voice low to keep from being overheard by passerby.

"I don't know." Jason admitted with a shrug. "When I tried to get it out of her before she kept saying she promised Kristina she wouldn't tell me or you because Kristina doesn't want us to kill whoever did this to her."

"Sam should know better than anyone that this bastard needs to be put in the ground." Sonny ground out through clenched teeth. "Sam was hit by men before. You shot and killed the man who roughed her up."

"That was only because he came after us, Sonny." Jason reminded him. "He got out of prison and tried to kill you and me. We had no choice. Knowing Sam, especially if she's dating a Fed now, she convinced Kristina to press charges to lock whoever did this up."

"That's not enough!" Sonny replied harshly. "Sitting in a cell is not enough. He needs to suffer, like Kristina suffered."

"Sonny," Jason said calmly. "I'll talk to Sam. But I want you to think for a moment. Kristina didn't want to name her attacker because she was afraid of what you would do. She doesn't want this to end in violence. Sam found a nonviolent way to make whoever did this pay. For Kristina's sake, maybe we should go along with it. It might be the best thing for Kristina."

Sonny scrubbed his hands over his face. "I don't want Kristina to suffer anymore than she already has. But this bastard,"

"Could spend the rest of his life in prison." Jason pointed out. "He beat her badly enough that the DA might put attempted murder charges on him. We don't know. But I will talk to Sam. If the justice system doesn't carry this out, then we can do this our way."

Sonny relented and Jason knew why with his next question. "Dante's with her, right?"

"Yeah, he's sitting in on the interview with Agent McBain." Jason nodded.

"Talk to Sam." Sonny sighed. "I'm going to wait for Dante."

* * *

"I can tell by the look on your face that you're going to complain about me not keeping in touch." Sam said, as Nikolas led her over to the seating area. "I'm sorry for that, Nikolas. I was in such a bad place when I left, all I could think about was getting out of here and-"

"I understand, in a way." Nikolas assured, lowering his frame into the chair beside her. "Doesn't mean I fully approve, of course. But, I know you were having a rough time and I wasn't exactly there for you in the way I probably should have been."

"What?" Sam gave him an incredulous look. "No. Nikolas, I was your cousin, recently discovered, that you'd only known for a couple of years. Lucky is your brother and Elizabeth has been your friend much longer than I have. Plus, you were dealing with you tumor and losing Emily. It wasn't your job to take care of me."

"We're family, Sam. And family is supposed to take care of each other." Nikolas sighed. "And now that you're back, I don't want to not be there for you again. You, Molly, Kristina and Alexis are pretty much the only family speaking to me at the moment, so I have to take what I can get."

"Speaking to you?" Sam repeated, brow furrowing curiously. "Are you fighting with Lucky or something?"

"And Lulu." He nodded, and shame clouded his eyes. "I've done some things I'm not proud of recently. And in doing so I betrayed Lucky and hurt him worse than I ever thought I would."

"Nikolas," She touched his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "What happened?"

"Elizabeth and I," Nikolas sighed. "Were/are having an affair. Lucky and Elizabeth got remarried after you left. Then I'm not sure how it happened, but it did."

"Oh God." Sam blew out a huge breath. "Wow."

"Sam," He looked at her with beseeching eyes. "I need to ask you a favor. I don't know how you're going to be in town for, but you and Lucky were close once. He leaned on you when the truth about Elizabeth and Jason came out. If you could just check on him for me. Make sure he's doing all right. He's not speaking to me for obvious reasons. And neither is Lulu."

"I saw him earlier today actually." She informed him. "And he seemed to be doing all right. He hugged me, told me it was good to see me. He seemed good. But, I can check on him again since he's helping with Kristina's case as it is."

"Thank you." Nikolas breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm ashamed of what I've done. I don't know, it's been three years and you think I'd get a hold of myself. But losing Emily, I don't even recognize myself anymore. She was the one who held me together and now, I just keep making bad decision after bad decision."

"Emily was your soul mate." Sam told him, covering his hands with hers and giving it a comforting squeeze. "I really believe that. It's normal for you to spiral out of control when you lose something so precious. Look at me, Nikolas. Look at the things I did when I first lost Jason. I didn't recognize myself either. And when I was fixing my life in Quantico, I hated that person I first turned into. The fact that you own up to your mistakes is a start, a way to heal. Now you just have to focus on doing the best thing for you and be the man Emily would want you to be."

"You really matured while you were away." He smiled at her words. "The old you wasn't this wise. Leaving was the best thing for you wasn't it? You're happy."

"I had a lot of help." Sam nodded. "Starting the PI business was the start. Focusing on work and making ends meet got me back on me feet, made me independent. And then there was John."

"The new boyfriend." Nikolas's voice took on a teasing edge.

"Yes, the new boyfriend." Sam laughed lightly, running a hand through her hair. "You know, after losing Jason, I did not want to fall in love again. I never wanted to open myself up to that kind of hurt when I finally found my place, you know? Then we worked a bunch of cases together, so we spent a lot of time in each other's company."

"And fell in love?" He guessed with a laugh.

"Not at first. I was wary of him at first. Basic instinct, don't trust cops." She joked. "But I don't know, he's so-steady. He listened to me and never judged me. He reminded me of the Jason I first met. The one who taught me how to trust, which is why I refused to give into my feelings for him for the first year."

"Ouch." Nikolas shook his head in amusement.

"But who am I kidding. We have a connection and that grew into love." Sam shrugged. "He's good for me, Nikolas. And he accepts me, bad parts, good parts, all parts of me. He listens when I talk to him and even when I told him the horrible things I did in my past, he never hated me or even judged me for them. He just told me we all make mistakes, even monstrous ones. We can only move on and try to learn from them. And, he came up here to help my sister and I didn't even have to ask. And he's going to make sure whoever did this pays. I can't ask for more than that."

"I'm really glad you're happy, Sam." Nikolas told her sincerely.

"Thanks. Me too." Sam squeezed his hand again. "I want the same for you too, you know. I'm sorry things are tough right now. While I'm in town, I'll do what I can to help."

"I appreciate that." He returned the squeeze. "How long do you plan on being in town for?"

"I can't go back until I know Kristina's going to be all right." Sam shrugged. "So I'll probably be here until after the trial of her attacker."

* * *

"Look alive Ethel." Johnny smirked. "Big Bro is here!"

Ethan looked up from his game of solitaire and eyed Lucky warily. "Have you come to arrest me?"

"No." Lucky shook his head. "Dante's at the hospital with Kristina right now. Sam McCall, Kristina's-"

"Older sister, I know." Ethan nodded. "Zacchara filled me in on some of the details. And from what he tells me, her being back in town might be a blessing in disguise for you."

Lucky grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not so much. Sam's new boyfriend is a Fed. He's with Dante now, conducting Kristina's interview. Kristina felt more comfortable giving her statement to him."

"Damn." Johnny shook his head in pity. "You have the shittiest luck when it comes to women, Lucy."

"Stuff it, Johnny and don't call him Lucy." Ethan snapped. "So does this mean my name will be completely cleared."

"As long as Kristina doesn't name you," Lucky nodded. "No one will have any reason to suspect you."

"See? Told you Sam being in town was a good thing." Johnny smirked. "He was all broody, wondering if you were going to arrest him or if Jason was going to show up and shoot him."

"You seriously hang out with this guy?" Lucky asked Ethan, ignoring Johnny.

"He's not as stupid as he comes off." Ethan assured him. "He's just an ass most of the time."

"Hey!"

"Your time to waste as you choose." Lucky clapped him on the shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you the news so you wouldn't have to worry. You'll be the hero that got her to the hospital."

"I'm not a hero." Ethan shook his head.

"Actually," Johnny grinned wickedly. "You thought Kristina's crush on you was intense before-just wait. She's going to hero worship you on top of it now."

"Like I said," Lucky rolled his eyes. "Your time to waste as you choose. I'll call you when we have a name for Kristina's attacker so you know you're officially in the clear."

"I appreciate it." Ethan told him.

"You're my brother." Lucky reminded him. "The only one I can trust. So, I've got your back."

Lucky gave a curt nod to Johnny in departure before leaving the Haunted Star.

"Too bad Sam came back to town with a boyfriend." Johnny mused. "Cause that brother of yours is depressing as hell. He could have used a good fling if you ask me. That and Sam's hot."

"Hotter than Elizabeth?" Ethan looked at Johnny curiously.

"Elizabeth is wholesome and pure kind of sexy. The typical good girl thing." Johnny explained. "Sam's a firecracker. She's small, she tough and she's feisty. She holds her own in a gunfight and apparently kicked Diego Alcazar's ass when he tried to kidnap her on the docks a couple years ago."

"Sounds like my kind of woman." Ethan grinned roguishly.

"Dude, now that's harsh. You develop the hots for Sam and you'll shatter Kristina's heart." Johnny shook his head. "And I mean it, you even try it, the new boyfriend might lock you up and if he doesn't, well like I said-Jason Morgan's Ex. I don't think you want to go there."

* * *

Jason sighed, leaning against the wall as he listened to Sam's conversation with Nikolas. A part of him was proud of Sam when she first started explaining about becoming a PI and how it taught her to be independent again. The more he thought about it, the more the career suited her. Sam had once been a con artist, that kind of background would give her an edge in the field and she'd always been quick on her feet, smart in a tight situation. She was probably very successful.

But then she started talking about John McBain and he couldn't ignore the sting in his heart. Especially when Sam had said John reminded her of the Jason she first fell in love with. He had seen them interact with his own two eyes, saw Sam drop her guard and relax with him. It was obvious that she trusted the tall Fed. What Jason couldn't figure out was why it bothered him so much.

He hadn't been this bothered when Sam had been with Lucky. Partly because they had been so angry with each other, partly because he had been focused on Elizabeth at the time and the rest was probably because Jason knew Sam and Lucky would never connect on the same level he had with Sam. He had been the first person Sam ever truly loved, trusted and relied on. And since Sam grew up not trusting anyone, it wouldn't be so easy for someone to break down all her walls like Jason had.

But apparently John McBain did. Sam said in her own words that John had accepted her as she was, good, bad and in between. That meant Sam had opened up him, told him things about herself that she never really talked about with anyone before Jason. He wondered if McBain knew about Nico, about Danny and Evelyn. She'd obviously told him about Jason, judging by the cool reception he got on the introductions. But did she tell him how they fell apart? And the things they'd done to hurt each other after?

"Jason?"

He looked up at the soft voice and kept from grimacing when he saw Elizabeth approaching. No matter what happened between them, or what she had done to hurt him, she was still the mother of his child and Jason would always care about her on some level. But with everything that had happened, he knew now that a romance with Elizabeth was out of the question. They could never love each other they way they each deserved. Elizabeth wanted to change him and Jason wanted someone to accept him as he was. The way Sam once had.

"Elizabeth." He straightened and moved away from the wall, meeting her halfway. "Are you all right?"

"I've been better but," She shrugged agitatedly. "It's a pain of my own creation so I have no one to blame but myself."

"Lucky's going to come around." Jason assured her, though in the back of his mind he really wondered if Lucky could come back from this. He'd already overlooked Elizabeth's betrayal with him. This time around Elizabeth had cheated with his brother which made it ten times worse.

"I want to believe that," Elizabeth forced a smile on her face. "But I hurt him pretty bad this time. Worse than I ever have before."

"Just give it some time." He said quietly. "Lucky's hurting, he's going to need some space right now."

"It's just so awkward when he comes to see the boys." She shook her head. "I hate myself for doing this to him."

"Well, what's done is done." He shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Lucky will eventually move forward and thing's will get better."

"Thanks." She said quietly. "You always know just what to say to make me feel a little better. I was actually looking for Nikolas. He came by to check on Kristina and-"

"He's talking to Sam." Jason informed her, gesturing around the corner. "The Cops are questioning Kristina right now, so they're waiting."

"Did Kristina say who did this to her yet?" Elizabeth asked with an expression of concern.

"Sam knows." Jason replied. "Kristina confided in her, and then Sam convinced her to talk to the police. Sam's dating a Federal Agent now, and Kristina agreed to talk to him because she knows him. So he's in there with Dante right now, interviewing Kristina."

"I hope they lock this guy up." Elizabeth replied. "I feel so badly for Kristina, she must be so traumatized."

"She wasn't speaking at first." Jason nodded. "Sam coming here helped, got her talking. Sam knows what she's going through, so she can relate and that's probably comforting to Kristina."

"Then I guess it's good Sam is back then." Elizabeth admitted reluctantly. "It's good that she's here helping her sister. I'm glad for Kristina."

"Yeah." Jason sighed. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N: I really wish sometimes that Jason would tell Liz where to stick it, but that would be very out of character for him. I can use Lucky to inflict damage instead because he was pretty wrecked (obviously) over the Niz affair. That whole storyline creeped me the fuck out to be honest. Nikolas and Elizabeth together made my skin crawl. I like their friendship, but their affair-yuck! Up until he left the show, I was and am still a firm believer that Emily was Nikolas's soul mate. **

**Also, did anyone else get kind of mad when all of a sudden Sam and Nikolas stopped having scenes together? Those two had a decent friendship in 2007 and all through Sam's relationship with Lucky. Then all of a sudden they kind of forgot the other existed. I liked their friendship because Sam doesn't have a lot of friends really, besides Maxie, Spinelli, Lucky, Robin and later John McBain. Everyone else was family. I know Nik's her cousin, but still lol. I want more for Sam so I'm giving it to her. Including her friendship with Lucky which I'll delve more into and a new friendship with Dante since a couple of you requested they become allies. Sam wasn't around for Dante's true identity to be discovered and she's not with Jason at the moment so she doesn't have any prejudice against him.**

**And the new twist for today...SO excited that they're bringing back Lorenzo Alcazar! I LOVE Ted King and...it will give me a reason to watch GH still besides just for Sam and now Robin's return. And not that it erases my longing, but it eases the ache of 'losing' Jason for me. (like Sam I'm in denial that he's gone for good. I'm praying to soap Gods that he decides to come back eventually)**

**As for the McJaSam love triangle? I'm thinking about it. Lol.**


End file.
